Jermaine O’Neal will have season-ending surgery on his left wrist.
The 33-year old Boston Celtics center was once considered one of the game’s best big men, but O’Neal, who was drafted out of high school, aged quickly, and has not been a truly effective center for some time, although he has been able to provide size and decent defense in spot minutes over the last few seasons.
This season, O’Neal has averaged just 5 poins per game on 43.3% shooting, but was still thought of as a potentially attractive post-deadline buyout candidate for a team that needed a backup center, namely the Miami Heat. However, the chances of O’Neal actually being bought out were slim to none, and this will officially keep his name out of any further buyout speculation.
